Happy Valentines Day, if you're into that sort of thing. Hope you all had a good weekend! Thanks for reading =)
Chapter Twenty One
Carol woke up feeling more rested than she had in ages. She opened her eyes and almost cried out in surprise. She remembered then that she had slept in the shack with Daryl the night before and then she felt her face flame when she remembered what she had done. He had moved in his sleep, rolling over and facing her. One of his legs were pushed up between hers and his arm was locked around her.
She felt heat slide down her spine, remembering what had happened. She had been so bold the night before but now she was afraid he was going to wake up and freak out. She didn't really know why she had done what she did. At first she had been afraid, not knowing why he was ready to storm right out into the rain. Once she had realized what the problem was, she had been overwhelmed with the need to touch him. To taste him. Now she was scared to death he was going to wake up and toss her right out of the shack.
She thought maybe the best thing she could do was try to sneak out before he woke up but that was going to be difficult since she was trapped between him and the wall. Not just trapped either. They were completely tangled together. She needed to get to the cabin and start breakfast. She needed to figure out what they were planning on doing with the new people.
She tried to move slowly so as not to wake him but a loud crack of thunder ruined her plans. His eyes snapped open, meeting hers instantly. She could have sworn that she could see the thoughts tumbling through his head and then he narrowed his eyes and cursed.
Her stomach dropped. She worried that he would regret letting her do what she had done but she hadn't expected this. Maybe a more quiet Daryl, not one that scowled at her and grumbled under his breath like he was doing now. She felt her face flame with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she whispered, feeling humiliated. He most likely thought she was...
His frown deepened and he reached up, the tips of his fingers tracing her right eye. The same one that had taken a hit from his elbow the night before. "Why the fuck are you sorry that I gave you a black eye?" He asked, his voice horse.
Relief washed over her when she realized that he was scowling over something else. She shrugged but didn't say anything.
He untangled his legs from hers and rolled over onto his back, raising his head enough so he could look towards the single window. His head dropped back down and he stared up at the ceiling. He didn't seem mad. He seemed more contemplative than anything and then he blew out a breath. "We gotta get back up there and figure out what the hell we're gonna do."
She nodded but he didn't make a move to get up. She cautiously made an attempt to move over him. He watched her but he stayed very still. He didn't try to touch her and she didn't go out of her way to touch him either. It was kind of the way things had been going for a week. It was almost a comfort that things were the same as they had been. If her actions had caused a rift between them she would have regretted ever doing it.
"You better tell Merle as soon as we get up there that I didn't punch you in the eye," he said, sitting up once she was standing.
She looked up from her boots and smiled. "What'll happen if I don't?"
"He'll kick my ass," he said, running his hand through his hair, causing it to stick up at odd angles.
"That doesn't sound so bad," she said absently.
"Yeah? Well, if I get my ass kicked for giving you a black eye on accident then I'll kick your ass for causing it."
She laughed. The last thing she knew she had to worry about was him putting his hands on her. Then she paused, because the thought of him putting his hands on her sounded extremely good right now. That led her mind to spiral back to last night. She wondered how it would be to sleep with a man that was that much more endowed than her husband had been. Ed had been lacking miserably in that department, which she guessed was one of the reasons he was such a cruel man. He was overcompensating. She cleared her throat and finished tying her boots. "Don't just lay there. We have to get to the cabin," she said, avoiding looking at him because she really wanted to get back in that bed.
He finally stood up and glanced down. His shirt was still open and he quickly started buttoning it back up. He glanced up at her as his fingers worked. She hadn't realized that she was standing there staring. She quickly looked away, noticing that his face was growing at red as hers.
The night before she had been so afraid that he would shove her away when she had started on the shirt. When he hadn't she got more brave. What in the world had gotten into her?
"You ready to get wet?" He asked, his voice low.
Her head snapped up, her eyes widening. Truth be told, she already was but if he wanted to...
His own eyes grew wide when they met hers. "Rain," he said quickly. "It's rainin'. I meant are you-"
"Yeah," she nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'm ready."
He nodded and was out the door before she could even think of something else to say. What the hell was wrong with her?
~H~
Daryl shook his head as he walked briskly through the rain. Was she ready to get wet? Had he really fucking asked her that? What in the hell was wrong with him! Could he possibly make things between them even more weird? She was walking next to him but she wasn't saying anything. She usually talked. She talked. He listened and grunted on occasion. That was what they did.
Not that he wanted to talk about what had happened the night before but he wished she would talk about something because things were getting weird and he hated that.
"Do you think it went okay?" She asked once they made it across the path.
He glanced at her. "What?"
She gestured towards the cabin. "Last night. Do you think they had any problems?"
He shook his head. "I think Richard knows better. If he'd have tried anything Merle would have probably killed him. Merle don't want him here but he's like you. He's not gonna send those kids out there."
"I bet you wish I was more like you," she said quietly, keeping her eyes trained forward.
He shook his head. "I'm an asshole. I like you bein' you."
She glanced at him and smiled.
They hurried inside, not lingering in the rain. The first thing he noticed was that everything was cleaned up. Then he realized that the cabin smelled like someone had already gotten the morning started. Sure enough, everyone glanced up at their arrival.
Merle was at the table along with Sophia, Piper and Damon. Richard was leaning against the wall next to his son and the woman was busy at the fireplace where the smell of breakfast was coming from. Daryl glanced down and noticed Carol frowning. This was her job and it looked like she was taking another woman being here kind of hard. He elbowed her in the side and she looked up sharply.
He raised a brow at the frown she gave him. He leaned down so he could speak without the others hearing. "Seems like Richard's wife is takin' over. You still think lettin' them stay was a good idea?"
She narrowed her eyes and walked away, sitting down in the chair Damon abandoned. When he looked back at Merle he was staring at him, studying him closely. Daryl looked away. The last thing he needed was Merle asking questions and Merle could always read him like a book. He would know something happened.
Piper was the next one to abandon her seat so Daryl took it. His arm brushed Carol's and his chest started feeling all weird but he kept his eyes on the table. When a plate was suddenly put in front of him he didn't even look up. He just started eating.
"Thank you," Carol muttered when a plate was sat down in front of her.
He finally looked at her. She was chewing slowly, looking at her own plate dejectedly. He wasn't sure where the hell Kathrine managed to get the stuff to make pancakes but that was what they were eating. It was actually really good but he felt bad for Carol. She had become the go to person for meals and anything else they needed. Not that anyone pushed it on her. She did it because she seemed content to do it. But she didn't have a whole lot to work with. She probably felt like the other woman was outdoing her. He leaned a little closer. "This ain't too bad but the oatmeal you made yesterday was better," he whispered.
She didn't look at him but she bit her lip and smiled. "You're a horrible liar," she whispered back.
"Least I made an effort. That's gotta count for somethin'," he said, the corner of his mouth turning up.
She glanced at him and laughed quietly. "It actually does."
He finished eating quickly, ready to figure out what they were going to do about these new people. He wasn't sure where she stood on the subject anymore. He wasn't sure where Merle's head was at. He knew he flat out wanted them gone.
He looked up then, ready to ask Merle if he had decided what they should do but Merle was staring right at him, grinning like the Cheshire cat. "What?" Daryl asked, scowling.
Merle leaned forward and shrugged. "How did y'all enjoy your alone time?" There was a wicked gleam in his eye that made Daryl want to take his eye out. "Looks like it got rough."
He felt Carol shift next to him. He felt his own face flush as a particularly vivid memory slammed into his head. He tried to swallow the last bite of food in his mouth but it was stuck. He quickly took a drink from the bottle of water Carol had grabbed for herself.
"That good, huh?" Merle asked, raising a brow when Daryl finally glanced at him.
"Shut the fuck up, Merle." Why did the man think he needed to torture him? He took a quick look around but the kids weren't there and Richard and his family were closer to the door, looking out at the dreary day.
Merle opened his mouth to say something else but Carol cut him off. "Have you thought about what we're going to do?" She asked, nodding towards the front of the room where the family still stood.
Merle sighed and shook his head. "You got any bright ideas?"
Carol tried to think but there was really no good solution to this.
"Excuse me." They all three looked up at the sound of Kathrine's soft voice. "Do you have any medication? Samantha wasn't feeling well the last couple of days and now she seems to be running a fever."
Carol stood up, her brow lined with worry. "Fever? Why didn't you mention that to any of us that she was sick?"
Daryl raised an eyebrow.
Kathrine looked down. "Richard was afraid that you wouldn't let us stay if you knew. I'm sorry. We thought it was just the stress of everything. She seems to have been in a state of shock since it started. I've just been hoping she would snap out of it."
Daryl watched her follow the other woman over to the one pallet left on the floor. The little girl was there, lying like she had been lying when they had came in not long ago. Carol knelt down, her hand going to the little girl's forehead, a soft smile on her face as the girl gazed up at her. When Carol looked up her eyes met his, the smile vanishing. She looked troubled.
Her and Kathrine were talking so Merle chose that moment to lean closer. Daryl glared at him but he only grinned.
"You fucked her, didn't you?" His grin widened.
Daryl met his eyes and shook his head. "You're an asshole. No I didn't fuck her, Merle, so you can stop askin'."
Merle looked disappointed. "Well, you did somethin'. I can tell. Tell me that you didn't just lay there like a dumb ass and sleep all fuckin' night." Merle grimaced. "Nothin'? Seriously?"
Daryl shook his head. "There is somethin' seriously wrong with you, you know that?"
Merle grumbled drumming his fingers onto the tabletop, frowning hard. "What is wrong with you? You could have at least talked her into suckin' your dick for God's sake. How the hell are we even related?"
Daryl looked away, chewing the inside of his lip to distract himself.
"Oh shit. She did, didn't she!" Merle hissed before slapping him on the back.
Daryl scowled. "Would you just shut up!"
Merle shook his head. "I was startin' to wonder there for a while. I wasn't sure if you'd decided to just let the poor thing shrivel up and fall off from lack of use. Bout time you let the boy out to play for a bit."
"I swear I hate you," Daryl growled, shaking his head and refusing to look at him.
"Is she a swallower? Ain't nothin' hotter than a woman willin' to take a-"
"Merle, shut the fuck up!" Daryl snapped, drawing the attention of everybody in the room. He scooted down further in the seat.
"You lucky son of a bitch," Merle whispered, still grinning.